


Cracks

by TT_Angst_Queen



Series: NCIS One-Shots [29]
Category: NCIS
Genre: Fluff, Pre-Canon, Pre-Slash, Touch-Starved
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-05
Updated: 2018-03-05
Packaged: 2019-03-27 05:51:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13874496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TT_Angst_Queen/pseuds/TT_Angst_Queen
Summary: “Leroy,” his father would tell him, “You can’t always trust that what people show on there face or what they say is real. Folks lie all the time, and it’s our choice whether or not we dig deep and choose to figure out the truth. It’s our choice whether we use that knowledge to help, or to hurt them.”





	Cracks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [cutsycat](https://archiveofourown.org/users/cutsycat/gifts), [Kuhlmama](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kuhlmama/gifts).



Gibbs was an observant man. He was also a smart man, even if it wasn’t smart’s that leaned towards tech and chemicals, more street smarts than book smarts. He learned from his father’s knee to observe and react accordingly. 

 

_ “Leroy,”  _ his father would tell him,  _ “You can’t always trust that what people show on there face or what they say is real. Folks lie all the time, and it’s our choice whether or not we dig deep and choose to figure out the truth. It’s our choice whether we use that knowledge to help, or to hurt them.”  _

 

He had hired Anthony DiNozzo Jr in his mind far before he had done it on paper. He had observed the man, his masks, his lies about his emotions and occasionally (often) his health. He had watched as Tony had outwardly seemed to embrace everyone’s welcoming attitude and even the occasional teasing, while inwardly, the young man fought the urge to flinch and flee from every touch, every pat on the back, every Abby hug, while at the same time leaning into it. 

 

Tony seemed to take his head-slaps differently, though. The young man seemed to crave them, and when an expected one didn’t come, it would almost be like someone shot his puppy. Gibbs didn’t quite understand it, but he would have to guess it would have to do with the fact that the first time he had done it, he had been hiring DiNozzo and quoting Rule #5. The only thing he could think of was that Tony saw it as a sign of affection, which it was. Despite what most people thought, and how much Tony exaggerated it, the head-slaps were more like pats, which gave a little irony to Tony’s nickname “Gibbs’ Loyal St. Bernard.” 

 

So Gibbs waited. For a few months, he stood by and let Tony hide, and lie, and hold up those masks by the skin of his teeth, and he waited. Not even Tony, the best undercover agent NCIS had ever had, could keep up a mask indefinitely, 24/7. 

 

He waited till the opportunity came up, and pounced with his usual manner. 

 

“DiNozzo, with me.” Gibbs barked; it was the end of the week, their first free weekend in a while, and Gibbs was going to take advantage of it.

 

“Boss?” Tony asked, his face screwed up in confusion, pausing in taking his gun out of his drawer.

 

“ _ With.Me.DiNozzo. _ ” Gibbs stated firmly, not unkindly. 

 

Tony grimaced and shook his head.

 

“Look, Boss,” Tony said, falsy apologetic, “I have plans for this weekend, and-”

 

“DiNozzo.” Gibbs’ tone left no room for argument, and he could tell when the young agent realized that. 

 

“With you Boss.” Tony sighed, and Gibbs watched with grim satisfaction as his shoulders slumped, resigned to going back to Gibbs’ place, whether he wanted to or not. 

 

Tony stayed quiet on the ride to Gibbs’ house, and Gibbs didn’t dare try to break the silence. It was comfortable, for the moment, and Gibbs was afraid that if he made the wrong move, Tony would try to escape, even if he had to jump out of the speeding car. His newest agent had a tense set to his shoulders, his hands almost shaking. Tony tried to hide it, but Gibbs could see that Tony’s masks had cracked after holding them up for so long, probably years. The welcoming and friendly atmosphere of NCIS and Tony’s interaction with everyone had clearly cracked away at his concrete shields, and Gibbs had waited until he could tell the younger man was almost at his breaking point before demanding his presence.

 

Gibbs pulled into his driveway, shutting off the car, and getting out. Walking towards his house, he fought the urge to make sure Tony was following, but threw it off, know that his agent would be, no matter his reluctance doing so. 

 

Placing his keys in the bowl by the door, Jethro relaxed as he heard the door shut behind Tony, and strode to the kitchen, grabbing two beers, before going back to the living room where Tony was standing uncomfortably.

 

Grabbing the younger man, much to his protest, he ignored the Flinch-Lean movement and dragged him to the couch, before sitting down and dragging the struggling man into (what he would deny to anyone else), a  _ cuddle _ . 

 

“Gibbs, what the  _ hell _ ! Lemme go, you can’t-”

 

“Hush.” 

 

Tony fell silent, his struggles getting weaker before they finally stopped, and he relaxed into Gibbs’ hold with a sigh, and then he  _ pushed _ into the hold, purring.

 

“Good boy…” Gibbs whispered, smiling.

 

A while later, sleepy green eyes slit open to smile at him.

 

“Thanks… Jethro.” Tony murmured, snuggling further into Gibbs’ arms, which tightened around him, while Gibbs continued to stroke a hand through the baby-soft hair.  

 

“Anytime….Tony.” 

 

And he meant it.     

 


End file.
